Houston News

Parker Calls Out Duck Commander

Houston Mayor Annise Parker enters the Duck Dynasty controversy with a bold statement of her own.

During an interview with the publisher of Lone Star Q, a Texas-based blog focused on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) issues, the openly gay mayor referred to Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson as a “redneck wingnut.”

She later sent out a Twitter message to clarify her comment, which read, “When I called Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty "a redneck wingnut whose views are completely irrelevant" I was serious. Who cares?”

Robertson was suspended from his hit cable television show last week following comments about homosexuality he made in a GQ magazine interview. Robertson called the gay lifestyle “sinful”, citing a Bible verse that compared it to adultery and slander. A national debate has been underway over whether Robertson has a right to espouse his beliefs, and whether A&E was within its rights to suspend him.

There may be long term consequences for Parker. She cannot run for re-election as mayor due to term limits, but political insiders say she is under consideration for a future federal post and the comments could hurt her prospects.